'Disney on Ice' performers make magic on skates

Bertalan Szabo and Agota Zakany-Szabo skate as characters from "The Little Mermaid" as part of Disney on Ice's production "Worlds of Enchantment," which is at the Hampton Coliseum this weekend.

Bertalan Szabo and Agota Zakany-Szabo skate as characters from "The Little Mermaid" as part of Disney on Ice's production "Worlds of Enchantment," which is at the Hampton Coliseum this weekend. (Courtesy of Feld Entertainment / Handout)

When you’re on the road a lot for work, you pass the time with movies. The touring cast of a Disney on Ice production is no exception.

And yes, the skaters frequently make time to watch the very films they bring to life each night in their shows.

“It’s not always the first thing we watch, but we definitely put them on,” said Agota Zakany-Szabo, a Hungarian skater who has been with Disney on Ice for eight years. “And when we put on a Disney movie, we just sit silently and watch it — it feels like you’re a kid again.”

In the “World of Enchantment” production that comes to the Hampton Coliseum this weekend, Zakany-Szabo performs as Ariel from “The Little Mermaid.” It is not coincidence that her fairy tale prince is skated by her real-life husband, Bertalan Szabo.

They have known each other from the ice rinks of Budapest since they were young children, and they joined Disney on Ice together in 2010. Single skaters throughout their competitive careers, they are happy now to be performing as a pair.

It’s a different approach from competition — portraying characters instead of attempting difficult jumps and combinations, and trying to connect with the audience rather than impress judges.

“The last time I went to (the world championships) in 2006 in Calgary, I didn’t feel that good kind of feeling anymore that you get from competing,” Szabo said. “Here it’s more fun. You can do different elements, like lifts and jumps, and I still push myself to do backflips, which is a different element that we can’t do in competitions.”

Zakany-Szabo agreed, saying: “I remember being so nervous making jumps and trying to do it perfectly so I did not get deductions. Here, we are performing to these kids and their parents, and you hear them reacting at every show. I still get butterflies in my stomach, but they’re not the same kind.”

As part of the Disney on Ice cast, they have seen the whole world together and they have learned how to balance their personal and professional lives while on the road.

“You have to separate — work is work and life is life,” Szabo said. “You never bring work home and you never put your personal life on the ice. When we walk into a building, we are skaters. When we go back to the hotel, we are a married couple.”

When asked to pick their favorite places they have visited on tour, Zakany-Szabo chooses South Africa and her husband picks Spain. But she is quick to say that it is hard to pick a favorite from so many nice and distinctive destinations — and she notes that they recently bought a home near Tampa, Fla.

The “Worlds of Enchantment” show also features characters from “Toy Story,” “Frozen” and “Cars.” In addition to playing Ariel and Prince Eric each night, the Szabos occasionally skate as Ken and Barbie in the “Toy Story” segment, and they have done Anna and Hans from “Frozen.”

But for eight years their primary roles have been as Ariel and Eric, and that sits just fine with a woman who was born in Hungary a year after “The Little Mermaid” was released.

“When they added ‘Toy Story,’ I had never seen it before, so I had to go watch it to see how the characters moved and acted,” Zakany-Szabo said. “But ‘The Little Mermaid?’ Of course I knew ‘The Little Mermaid.’ That’s a classic.”